Topic: Healthcare and Indigenous people

Problem: For many Aboriginal Canadians, good quality healthcare is out of reach. Suicide rates is five to seven times percent higher among First Nations youth than non-aboriginal youth. Tuberculosis is 26.4 times the rate among First Nations people and type 2 diabetes has become a growing problem among the First Nations community despite the fact that Canada has ranked highly in quality of life. Worse, doctors still have biases toward Aborignals. Many of the First Nations healthcare problems are caused by the remnants of the residential school system that still haunts many First Nations communities to this day

Many First Nations organizations in Canada are fighting for healthcare equality for Indigenous people and are asking the federal government to improve healthcare. Despite this, many Indigenous people are still waiting for a long time for any improvements coming to fruition. While healthcare is also a growing problem, many Indigenous families still don’t have access to clean water, food, and proper housing. Thus, it can be confusing as to which problem should be tackled first when it comes to First Nations issues. Not to mention, there are data disparities among different First Nations communities. Data is still deficient and while more funding being added, the results are still not satisfactory as provinces are focusing more on the end result as opposed to the utilization and process.

There are many issues going on with the Indigenous community. Healthcare is just one aspect of a larger problem. If we are going to do anything, the best option is to take things one step at a time. While Truth and Reconciliation has brought us far, there is still a long road ahead

Sources:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/opinion-indigenous-health-alika-lafontaine-1.4547798

Why do Canada’s Indigenous people face worse health outcomes than non-Indigenous people?